Positive Reporting or Propaganda?

A march organised by more than 30 national and international organisations focusing on a campaign to bring education to 72 million African children has been banned by the Gauteng police. Opportunistically planned for June 10, a day before the World Cup opener, it is obviously meant to be staged while the world’s eyes are fixated on our country. Andre van Loggerenburg, Gauteng Metro deputy director, in Orwellian “double-think” fashion says, “The march is not banned, it’s just not approved.”

I'm unsure which definition negates tear gas and rubber bullets.

From the authorities’ perspective, marches so often turn sour, no matter how peaceful the organisers’ intentions are. Whether this is due to the heightened disgruntledness of the legitimate protesters or criminal elements tagging along for some looting and destruction is a moot point, and they certainly and quite rightly don’t want a messy embarrassment. The president has appealed to baddies to "be good", while the ANCYL seems hellbent on making Cape Town ungovernable with no response from the ruling party. We can only surmise that the ANC wants "their" cities alone to run efficiently?

The banning or “non-approval” of marches over the WC period has been justified by the Gauteng SAPS because “all our manpower and resources are concentrated on the World Cup.” If all the women and men tasked to protect us citizens are spread thin, overseeing the delegates and players and visitors, who is left to look after us?

Government has given many journalists flack about negative reporting over this time, but when do our newspapers cross the thin, blurry line between positive reporting and propaganda?

No one wants the millions of visitors to go home thinking SA is on the brink of civil war or political meltdown, but how much of the governments pleas and restrictions are for the greater good and how much is a cover-up? Shouldn’t South Africans go about business as usual and let the chips fall where they may?


If we were honestly proud and positive we would show the world our true face.